Pinterest Inspired Dinner

I made this dinner last night from recipes I found on Pinterest. I put my own twists in some of them and they turned out delicious. The broccoli always comes out so good that sometimes my son sneaks behind me and steals some before I serve him his food.

I cooked Bacon Wrapped Chicken, inspired from this recipe of Baked Chicken With Pesto.  I also made delicious Hasselback Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli.

I made the Hasselback Potatoes and the Roasted Broccoli the same way as the recipes but for the chicken I seasoned the pieces with a little bit of lemon garlic seasoning, a bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and wrapped them in bacon completely. One thing I did was that the bacon was not getting crispy looking enough so I put it in the broiler for a couple of minutes until I was happy with the color. 

One thing that was pretty cool about the whole meal was that all 3 things were made in the oven and at similar temperatures so it was easy to cook them at the same time.

Below are some of the preparation steps I took and the picture of the whole dinner once it was ready.

Sliced the garlic and the potatoes

The broccoli is tossed and ready to go in the oven.

Chicken all cut up and ready to be wrapped.

Chicken is seasoned and all bundled up!

Here is the dinner all ready to be enjoyed!

NY Strip Steak with Spinach Risotto and Sauteed Grape Tomatoes (SpecialMarch 14th Dinner for the Man)

Here is the dinner I made for my SO to celebrate March 14th.

NY Strip steak with Spinach Risotto and Sauteed Grape Tomatoes 

Ingredients and preparation:

Steak:

• Any Steak you'd like
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Olive Oil

Steak Preparation:

Rub the steak with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high fire until desired doneness and let it rest for about 5 mins before serving. (I cooked this last).

Spinach Risotto Ingredients

• a 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Risotto Preparation:

Cook spinach according to package instructions and drain well. Cool spinach completely (I just poured cool water on it) and squeeze dry by handfuls.

In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a low simmer.

In a large saucepan cook onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice, stirring until each grain is coated with oil. Add about 3/4 cup simmering broth and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, cooking, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until about half of broth has been added. Reduce heat to moderate if necessary to keep risotto at a strong simmer. Continue adding broth in the same manner until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes.

Stir spinach into rice and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serve risotto with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Sauteed Tomatoes:

• 1 package grape tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Dry Basil to taste
• Fresh or Dried Rosemary to taste (optional)

Sauteed Tomatoes Preparation:

Heat oil in skilled over medium high heat and add tomatoes, salt and vinegar. Cook for 2 to 3 mins. and add herbs. Transfer to a serving bowl.

This was my first time making risotto and definitely is not going to be the last.

Leftovers Pizza

I made this delicious pizza on Monday with the leftovers from the weekend

Whole wheat pizza dough, pizza sauce, cheese, chicken, bell pepper, pepperoni and bacon, because, why not? 

She is all ready for the oven!

For the Pizza Dough:

• 1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, sugar and the oil. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until its foamy.  Add the flour and the salt little by little and mix to combine. Work the dough until smooth and a little tacky (for about 3-5 mins and I do it right in the bowl). Grease a large bowl (or same bowl) with 2 tbsp of olive oil and turn the dough until covered in the oil. Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place until it doubles in size.

Turn dough into a lightly floured surface and roll out into the desired shape. I used an inverted heavy duty cookie sheet because I was too lazy to whip out the pizza stone and it worked perfectly. Top with your favorite toppings  and bake at 370 degrees F for about 25 mins., until crust is golden brown. And enjoy!

This pizza was delicious and the perfect way to use all the little bits of stuff we had in the fridge. 

Beer Battered Asparagus with Blue Cheese Butter and Tomatoes

I made this dish because I've had it a couple of times at The Chart House restaurant here in Miami and every time I eat it, that's all I can think of for a few days. To make it , you will need:

-A bunch of Asparagus

-1 beer

-Flour

-Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

-Salt (to taste)

-1 egg

-Softened Butter

-Blue Cheese

-1 Tomato

-Enough vegetable oil to fry

Preparation:

Wash the asparagus and remove the hard part from the bottom, pat dry, roll in some flour and set aside. Wash and chop the tomato, removing most of the seeds and set aside. In a large bowl combine the beer, about 1 cup of flour, salt and pepper to taste and the egg and mix until combine (Note: the beer will foam a bit). Put the asparagus in and let them soak for a bit. In the meantime combine 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) and as much blue cheese as you want and put in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds until the butter and the cheese are warm and are easy to combine when whisked. Heat the oil in medium heat and put a drop of the batter in, when it goes to the surface within 2-3 seconds your oil is ready. Put the asparagus one by one using tongs (don't over crowd the pan). They will be ready when golden brown. Put them on a plate with a layer of paper towels until done. Transfer to the serving plate and drizzle some of the blue cheese mix on top and "sprinkle" some of the tomatoes on top. I put some of the blue cheese butter on the side as well for dipping. That's it, enjoy!